Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE have arrested a suspected arms trafficker in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The suspect, identified as Danjuma Yusuf, was said to be a dismissed police inspector.
Spokesperson of the operation, Captain Polycarp Oteh, confirmed the arrest, saying it was carried out during an intelligence-led operation aimed at dismantling criminal networks and restoring peace in the Joint Operations Area.
According to him, the arrest forms part of ongoing deliberate and decisive operations against criminal elements in Plateau State and surrounding areas.
“The arrest is part of the ongoing deliberate and decisive intelligence-led operations across Operation ENDURING PEACE Joint Operations Area aimed at ending the activities of criminal elements and restoring peace and security,” Oteh said.
He explained that troops, acting on credible intelligence, intercepted Yusuf while he was travelling from Jos South to Makera.
Items recovered from the suspect included two locally made pistols, 167 rounds of 9mm ammunition, pepper spray, a jack knife, cutlasses, mobile phones, police identification items, ATM cards and ₦73,300 cash.
Oteh said preliminary investigations linked the suspect to an alleged inter-state arms trafficking syndicate suspected of supplying weapons to criminals involved in terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.
He added that investigations were still ongoing to determine the full extent of the suspect’s alleged involvement and identify other members of the syndicate.
The operation urged members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with credible information on criminal activities in their communities.
Oteh said timely information from residents would help troops and other security agencies prevent attacks, track criminal networks and sustain ongoing efforts to restore peace and security in affected areas.
